Donald Trump Suggests Risking Death to Vote for Him

Former President Donald Trump appeared to tell his supporters it was worth risking death to caucus for him in Iowa.

The Hawkeye State is in the cool grip of an ice freeze at the moment where temperatures have plummeted to well below 0 Fahrenheit. The weather is expected to impact turnout for the Republican caucuses, different to a primary in part because it must be attended in person.

"You can't sit home. If you're sick as a dog, you say, 'Darling, I gotta make it,'" he told a rally in Indianola on January 14. "Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it, remember."

Trump had planned to also hold rallies in Sioux City, Atlantic and Cherokee, but these were canceled "out of an abundance of caution amid severe weather advisories" in order to "ensure the safety of MAGA patriots across Iowa."

There is currently a wind chill warning in place until midday local time on January 16 in Iowa, with possible temperatures dropping as low as -35 Fahrenheit.

It is not clear how a lower-than-usual turnout would affect voting. The former president has a strong lead among Republicans in most polls in the U.S, according to website FiveThirtyEight.

Trump has over 52 percent of the support in Iowa on average, according to the poll tracking website. His next closest rival is former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley at over 18 percent and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at nearly 16 percent.

Newsweek has contacted the three candidates' campaigns for comment.

Trump suggested in a video that the weather may be "good" for him in Iowa because "our people are more committed than anybody else."

A survey, conducted for NBC News, Mediacom and Iowa newspaper The Des Moines Register, found Trump had the highest level of support on 48 percent, and his supporters appeared to be more enthusiastic than the likes of Haley.

About 49 percent of Haley voters said they were "mildly enthusiastic," with a further 12 percent "not that enthusiastic." This could mean Haley's supporters might be less keen to take on the rough weather come caucus time.

"Her enthusiasm numbers, again, I just think are on the edge of jaw-dropping," pollster J. Ann Selzer, who helped conduct the survey, said. "That 61 percent are just mildly enthusiastic or not that enthusiastic — it just seems at odds with a candidate moving up."

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek in a statement previously: "Our grassroots supporters have put us in position to win, and now we have to show up to Caucus for President Trump on Monday and get the job done... We have to show up."